on edonkey2000, if you are downloading files from someone, and you begin to share files of your own. Can the person who you are downloading from, download my files straight from me or do they have to search for the files or ask special permission.
Would they need a ed2k link? If they need this link, how would they get it?

IIRC eMule allows you to create ED2K links from any file it's sharing. Do that, then send it to your friend. He should then be able to download it from you or anyone else who has the same file and is simultaneously connected to the network.

EDIT:Sry iI'm really talking about eMule with all this, I don't know how much of it applies to eDonkey2000.

My example was to pass a specific file to a friend, so they can start dling it right away instead of having to 'find' it on the network first.

tools > paste ED2k Links

Then just paste the link into there. It might also grab it from the clipboard automatically and ask if you want to start the dl right away, when the friend copys it.

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With the ED2k-source link they will find you immediately. With just a ED2k link, its best if u're both on the same server may take up to 5 minutes. If your on different servers it could take up to 30 minutes to find the file. If you want them to NOT sit in your queue, aka by-pass your queue. You need to add the person as a 'friend' then give them your friend slot, friends list > right click the friend > give friend slot. Only one friend at a time can be in the friend slot, unless you use a mod that changes it. And it has to be reset each time either of ya disconnect from the network, some mods remember it automatically.

A couple mods let you specify a file size like < 300KB that will always bypass the queue -- I used such a feature to share photos and desktop images for awhile so ppl wouldn't have to sit thur 100 queues for a small file.

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To your third question, anything you share could show up in a search by another user and be downloaded w/o knowing the link. Also, if the shared file is the same file, ie same hash and file size, as another file with a shared ed2k link -- then other users will find the file ezily. I mean to say if you dl something on say BitT then more than likely it exists on the ed2k network somewhere and so other ppl would probably be shearing the file already -- and hence you'ld just join those ppl.